going through are called cable
tracks. The last thing I want to
happen is have the wires on my
machine get pinched and shorted
out as the three axes move. Cable
track keeps the wires neat and tidy.
To the left of the machine, you can
see the computer and electronics
box that runs the show.

I purchased the guts to this
box in kit form from www.pro
botix.com because electronics are
not my strong point, and I am very

FIGURE 16

FIGURE 14

happy with it. It came with
everything I needed to wire up the
machine, and after a few phone
calls to their tech department (since
I don’t know how to read an
owner’s manual), the machine was
moving on its own in no time! I built
a clear box out of Lexan plastic to
hold all the electronics in (see
Figure 17).

Figure 18 shows the machine
doing what it does best — making
parts designed in a CAD program.

FIGURE 17

FIGURE 15

I’d like to say the first thing I made
was a totally awesome killer robot
part, but since the wife was so
patient with me while I was building
it CNC, I figured I would make her
a giant “S” to put in our baby
girl’s room.

I’m really looking forward to
seeing my creations on the
computer screen come to life, as
well as testing the limits of my
machine by seeing what kinds of
materials it will cut! SV

FIGURE 18

PARTS IS PARTS:
Kitb ts Rolls Out B- 16

Gearmotor Mounts
Ihave a pretty solid policy that his column only promotes parts
that are thoroughly “combat tested”
by the fighting community. This
month, I’m bending that policy, so
to speak, by featuring a new
product that is so simple and so

● by Kevin Berry

nifty, it’s just got to be shared.Team Rolling Thunder — producerof the Kitbots line of products —has come up with motor mountsfor the popular Robot MarketplaceB- 16 beetle gearmotors( www.robotmarketplace.com).